Haunted house in Oxnard gets too big, goes dark

Mario Robles had planned to volunteer as a clown at Troy Garcia's "You're Next Haunted Attraction" in Oxnard. But Garcia is taking a break this year as he figures out how to deal with city requirements, given that his home attracted more than 500 people last year.(Photo11: CARMEN SMYTH/SPECIAL TO THE STAR)Buy Photo

For the last seven years, Troy Garcia has transformed his home on Doris Avenue into an elaborate haunted house featuring creepy clowns, zombies and a black maze.

It started out as something fun for family and friends, but it kept growing through word of mouth. Last year, more than 500 people showed up.

“I thought it was going to be a one-year, two-year thing, I honestly did … then it got so big,” said Garcia, whose property became known as "You’re Next Haunted Attraction."

This year, Garcia is taking a break so he can figure out how to keep the project going and still meet city requirements.

Garcia, 23, was in the midst of preparing for this year’s haunt when he attended a meeting with city planners. The meeting included a review of requirements and limitations in a residential zone, and a discussion to determine if building permits were needed.

“We let him know that haunted houses are limited in residential zones to friends and family,” said Doug Spondello, a planner with Oxnard Planning Department. “Then our building official requested a plan in order to determine if any permits were required.”

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Troy Garcia shows some of the props he has collected through the years for "You're Next Haunted Attraction." He is taking a break this year as he figures out how to deal with city requirements given that the attraction at his home drew more than 500 people last year.(Photo11: CARMEN SMYTH/SPECIAL TO THE STAR)

Garcia said that every year, he has gone through the proper channels to put on his haunted house, including obtaining electrical permits. But the growth of the project has forced him to make some changes, including finding another site.

“The city was trying to work with us, but they were just being so strict with what they wanted,” Garcia said. “They will let us open it, but they do not want anyone from the public coming. They want friends and family only, and I don’t want that because everything we’ve built was from the public, from our community.”

According to Spondello, “We’re trying to be more proactive this year … explaining our requirements and mitigating any nuisances or life safety issues.”

Spondello said the city is trying to help Garcia find a commercial space with the help of the Downtown Management District.

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Clowns made up a big part of the "You're Next Haunted Attraction" that is being canceled this year as Troy Garcia tries to figure out what to do since more than 500 people came by his home last year.(Photo11: CARMEN SMYTH/SPECIAL TO THE STAR)

"We want to set them up to succeed with whatever they want to do," he said. "But when you do go by the books, there’s insurance that makes it more costly – I don’t know if they were prepared for that.”

Garcia, who works two full-time jobs, has always used donations to offset the cost of his haunted house. This year, he was planning 17 rooms and had already spent $5,000 on props.

He had also relied on volunteers every year to build more props, portray monsters, apply makeup and make costumes. He said some volunteers earned community service hours for participating.

“The hardest part was telling the volunteers not to come this year because a lot of them were really disappointed,” Garcia said.

Trick-or-treaters are still welcome on Oct. 31.

“I’m still going to do my graveyard scene, so we’re going to build this big old scene out here and we’ll have fog machines and lights,” Garcia said. “It will be scary … I’ll have some actors out here on Halloween.”

Garcia said he got the inspiration for the You’re Next Haunted Attraction when he was a 13-year-old volunteer at a haunted house at the old Oxnard High School.

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Joseph Lira dresses in costume last month for rehearsals for the "You're Next Haunted Attraction" in Oxnard. However, the event is being canceled this year as Troy Garcia tries to figure out how he can move the location, given that more than 500 people showed up at the house on Doris Street last year.(Photo11: CARMEN SMYTH/SPECIAL TO THE STAR)

“The only people they used were all youth — people that had problems at home, people that were in gangs, previous violence records," he said. "We all became one big family.”

Garcia started volunteering at the haunted house because his mother, Tina, had suffered a massive stroke, and volunteering provided a brief respite from his caregiving duties.

“She’s paralyzed on the right side with a feeding tube,” Garcia said. “But we just take it day by day.”

Garcia said that's what he'll continue to do with his haunted house idea: take it day by day.

“My goal is to get into a building," he said. "I don’t want to be a home haunt forever, because in a building, I can do so much more.”

He hopes that proceeds can go toward an organization that helps stroke victims in California.

“That’s what I want my donations to go to — but it requires paperwork,” he said. “Once I get into a building and get licensing, then I can do it.”

For now, Garcia is looking for someone who's willing to partner with him for next year and set up the haunted house in a commercial space.

“Nothing extravagant," he said. "It’s going to be our first year in a building so we want to practice it to see how we do, then the next year, go bigger.”